


back to you

by aarobron



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 15:20:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12135303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aarobron/pseuds/aarobron
Summary: 1,000 words of fluff about robert finally getting to wake up next to aaron, set after the reunion.or,There was a time when Robert thought he’d never have this again – lazy Sunday mornings in bed, Aaron’s mouth wet and warm under his, and a feeling in his heart that was more like being on top of the world – and for a while, he was scared he’d forget. He didn’t want to forget the sounds Aaron makes when he wakes up, or the way his mouth tastes like dark, bitter coffee and a hint of peppermint. Now he’s got it back, he’s realised that he never could.





	back to you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reformedcharacter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reformedcharacter/gifts).



> written for lauren - i hope this makes you smile and cry happy tears, i love you 
> 
> (imaginative) title from [back to you by louis tomlinson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HjpL-Ns6_A)
> 
> two fics in one day? am i feeling okay?
> 
> happy reading! xo

Robert wakes slowly, stretching his body and letting his mind catch up. There’s a warm body next to him and the mattress is softer than the one in Vic’s spare room. The sheets smells better, too – smells like _him_. The thought doesn’t fill him with crushing sadness like it used to. It makes him smile. 

He throws an arm around Aaron’s waist and presses a soft kiss to his neck, listening to Aaron’s mostly-asleep grumbling. “Too early, Rob,” He groans, but his head shifts forward so Robert can kiss the skin softly again. 

“I want to enjoy being with you,” Robert whispers, letting his breath ghost across Aaron’s back. He wants Aaron to feel this and he wants to feel Aaron, wants to remember it and savour it and cherish it. 

The younger man rolls onto his back and blinks sleepily, smiles at Robert like he’s the only thing in the world. “We’ve got all the time in the world now,” He murmurs, and curls a hand around the back of Robert’s head to pull him in. They kiss softly, slowly, because they do have all the time in the world. There’s no hurry, so Robert brushes his tongue against Aaron’s, tastes his mouth. He’s missed this. 

There was a time when Robert thought he’d never have this again – lazy Sunday mornings in bed, Aaron’s mouth wet and warm under his, and a feeling in his heart that was more like being on top of the world – and for a while, he was scared he’d forget. He didn’t want to forget the sounds Aaron makes when he wakes up, or the way his mouth tastes like dark, bitter coffee and a hint of peppermint. Now he’s got it back, he’s realised that he never could. 

“Breakfast?” Aaron hums quietly, eyes light and hair messy against his forehead. He looks younger like this, nothing like the man Robert fell in love with four years ago but everything that his future looks like, and Robert’s heart skips three beats and he shudders out a sigh.

“Go take a shower,” He whispers, dropping a barely-there kiss onto Aaron’s forehead. “I’ll start cooking.” 

Aaron smiles, easy, and squeezes Robert’s palm in appreciation. “Knew there was a reason I love you,” He teases, then slips out of the bed and out of the room. Robert tries to move, tries to get his body to work but his mind is still stuttering over those three words.

_Aaron loves me Aaron loves me Aaron loves me Aaron loves_

He feels like the luckiest man in the world.

.

The French toast is already in the pan by the time Aaron comes down, dressed in comfy joggers and a worn t-shirt. The joggers are rolled up and his feet are bare, and Robert’s heart constricts at the sight. _I could’ve lost this_.

“Looks good,” The younger man murmurs, mouth right next to Robert’s ear. He smells different and familiar at the same time, and when he leans in enough to kiss Robert’s cheek, he can tell what it is.

“You used my shower gel,” Robert states. He’s surprised, feels it to his toes, because that’s another thing he thought he’d lost. This time, it feels like replacing memories with better ones.

They’re back together but Robert hasn’t moved in yet. He may as well have, judging by the way his stuff is all over the house, toiletries and clothes taking up the spaces where they used to be one week at a time. It’s just- moving back in is a conversation they’re not prepared to have yet.

Aaron smiles, it bleeds through to his voice. “Wanted to smell like you,” He whispers, reaching around Robert to turn the cooker off so the French toast doesn’t burn. It’s so easy, in a way that it’s never been, to be this domestic. It’s everything Robert never realised he wanted. 

He plates up and sits at the table, and Aaron sits next to him. It’s weird – normally he’s sat opposite, reading the paper that’s in the middle of the table, but today he tucks one foot under Robert’s thigh and smiles at him, secretive little things that make his face light up. 

They chat over breakfast, Aaron telling him about how Adam is getting on in Australia while Robert explains Vic’s feelings on the situation. It’s nice. It’s mundane. It feels like _everything_. 

“Hey,” Aaron catches his arm when he’s about to start washing up, pulls him back. “Leave it for a bit. Thanks for breakfast.”

“Always,” Robert says, and means it. He drops a soft kiss onto Aaron’s lips because he can do that now, and makes himself comfortable on the sofa while the younger man darts upstairs. He’s comes back down dragging a DVD and the duvet off his – their, our – bed, the size of the material drowning him. 

He’s grinning though, face lit up as he puts the DVD in and curls up on the sofa, duvet thrown over them haphazardly. “Why you sitting all the way over there?” He asks, frowning, but Robert huffs out a laugh and shifts closer. 

They end up with Aaron settling between Robert’s legs, chest to back, and Robert’s nose is buried in Aaron’s hair. It’s overwhelming, all of it, and the lump in the older man’s throat rises before he can even think twice about it. He wipes his cheeks subtly, tries not to disturb Aaron, but his breathing has other ideas.

“What you cryin’ about?” He says, turning his head to face Robert. He scrunches up his nose, and _god_ , Robert loves him. He holds his hand a little tighter. “We’re watching Transformers – there’s nothing to cry about.”

“Sorry,” He whispers, chest hitching on a breath. “I’m just really happy. I thought I’d lost you for good.” 

Aaron shifts so they’re face-to-face, tangles his fingers in Robert’s hair. “Me too,” He murmurs, so close their lips are brushing together. “Think I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, actually.” 

Robert dips his head in a nod. He gets it, because they have nothing hanging over their heads now – no dark clouds or black secrets. This a fresh start, something entirely new and exciting. “I love you,” He says quietly, pressing forward to kiss Aaron, closed-mouthed and nothing but a comfort.

“I love you too,” Aaron says, because he can, because he wants to, because he feels it. He smiles as he kisses Robert again, then leans back and carries on watching the film. His head is pressed right onto the space where Robert’s heart is. 

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Robert hopes that Aaron can feel his heartbeat – and he hopes that he knows it’s all for him.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @ [aarobron](http://aarobron.tumblr.com/) xo


End file.
